You pay the seller for the firearm and have a local Class III dealer do your paper work. Pay the $200 transfer to the feds (one stamp) and probably $100 to the FFL for doing the transfer and paperwork. And then, when it is all approved, gun gets shipped to the FFL and given to you.

Only reason to pay the stamp twice is for having the gun ship quicker to your FFL. One for the FFL and one for you. Bit of a waste of funds, especially with all the ammo the gun will be needing.

Brief explanation, but the details are a bit more complex. That's why it is important that you work through your local class III FFL and allow them to walk you through the process. That's part of the fee they will charge you, whether you choose to do so or not.

It is not a matter of "quicker". Any transfer in which there is an individual (non-class III dealer) involved requires a tax stamp.

So if you buy across state lines and use dealers, it is one transfer (and tax) from the seller to a dealer in that state, then another transfer (and tax) from the dealer in your state to you. There is no tax on the transfer from dealer to dealer.

If you buy within your state, a dealer need not be involved unless state law requires it. A seller can deal directly with the buyer, with one transfer tax and one Form 4 approval.

If the item is in the C&R category (many original WWII NFA weapons are), a seller can ship directly to a collector license holder in another state with only one tax payment and one Form 4 approval. Be careful, though, as state and local laws must be obeyed.

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